I'm starting this thread because the Shaker Alternatives thread was starting to turn into a thread about shakers, and not their alternatives, which kind of misses the point of the thread. I did a search for a thread just for shakers and was shocked to not find one! So here you go, a lovely thread to talk shakers, post pictures of shakers, what have you.

I haven't seen any worth bringing home yet, however my martini glass collection has been growing steadily. I find that guests like to be able to pick their own. Or I just give 'em all something different, like the tiki mugs.

Back to the topic - Shakers are great, they have history to them, and they're functional!

Here is my cocktail shaker collection that is steadily being infiltrated by an overflow in tiki mugs and other assorted old stuff...

...I rarely use any of the glass shakers. I lost a nice vintage Anchor Hocking shaker when it slipped out of my hands years ago and I've been scared to use glass ever since. On a daily basis I use the "Dial-A-Matic" metal shaker my wife bought me for Christmas 8 years ago. In the third pic you’ll notice the Hazel Atlas cobalt/sailboat shaker set that I got for a real steal ($25.00 for all the pieces!) and one of my all-time favorites... I had a party guest a couple years ago decide that he wanted to mix up his own drinks and use this shaker - I didn't mind that he wanted to try his hand at bartending but why in the hell did he have to pick this one? The shaker survived fine but wouldn't you know it... the lid seized up and I nearly lost my mind trying to get it back off! Then finally with the aid of hot soapy water, a block of 2X4 and a very non-delicate hammer I got it off again - I was afraid it was going to end in tragedy but thankfully it didn’t.

That's some collection John! Is that an orginal penguin shaker? They make them new but I would love to have one of the originals.

I have a lot of the glass recipe shakers, and the cobalt blue one with silver fish, but my collection is pretty meager.

I also use the dial-o-matic metal shaker most of the time. It has a large capacity, and since metal gets colder much faster then glass it chills the drink more quickly so I prefer metal over glass.

I usually measure with a jigger so it doesn't matter to me if the shaker has measuring marks on it. But sometimes I'll use a large marked measuring glass when making a batch, then I use a metal mixing can over the top, tap it to seal, shake, and strain with a strainer.

I love the vintage shakers, I had a nice set of 'cocktail time' highball glasses, and I've seen a shaker that matches but it was super pricey. After our wedding I went looking for a nice vintage cocktail shaker set, for our friend who married us. I could only find sets that were several hundred bucks, so I gave her six of my vintage glasses, (they were a buck each at a thrift store in Cleveland about 12 years ago) and I'm pretty glad I didn't spend the money on the shaker, by the next time I went to her house, her housemates had broken 2 of the glasses what dopes! I was watching Queer Eye 'best of' recently and they had gotten this guy a really sweet vintage shaker, and martini set, and the QE guys were saying 'that set has never been used, it cost $500..." and as they were saying it, the straight guy completely spazzed and dropped the shaker, on top of the glasses and broke everything. JEEEEEZ. It was very sad.
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On 2005-07-18 13:17, thejab wrote:Is that an orginal penguin shaker? They make them new but I would love to have one of the originals.

Don't I wish! Unfortunately it's a reproduction. I really went overboard when I started collecting shakers about 10 years ago... I bought every glass shaker that remotely appealed to me not to mention all the accompanying glasses, ice buckets, swizzle sticks, bar gadgets, etc. What you see in the cabinet is probably only half of what I've amassed - the others are wrapped in paper and packed away in the basement. Some of my favorites...

Made by Hocking Glass circa 1930's... I found the shaker at a flea market with a stuck lid for $2.00! The glasses I actually paid a lot for! I arrived late at an auction and the auctioneer wasn't getting any action on the glasses so he decided to throw these in with a box of other junk. I objected saying I only wanted the cocktail glasses but the auctioneer didn't care; the place does big business with antique dealers and there are tables piled up with junk which they allow you to dig through and make your own lots while starting the bidding super low. And wouldn't you know it, some asshole started bidding on the coffee mugs or whatever crap was thrown in and before I knew it I was in a bidding war for the Sweet Ad-aline glasses! When the bidding got up to $20, which is virtually unheard of at this place, I started getting pissed and vowed to myself to rescue the glasses no matter what the price. Luckily he backed off at around $26.00 and I won the glasses. Afterwards I wanted to take the cocktail cups out of the box and right in front of the auctioneer dump the rest of the contents on the floor but I decided not to.

I know this has slipped far away from Tiki Drinks and Food but I just wanted to share...

Not vintage, but I'm with TikiWahine--IKEA's Groggy is one of my go-to shakers. Being shaker-opening-impaired, the seal on the glass was the big selling point for me.

My other fave is the Ultimo 24-Ounce Cocktail Shaker. It has a seal on the cover so it's easy to open, and the rubber grip on the outside keeps even a clutz like me from losing my hold. (Guess it wouldn't matter too much with this one since it's not very delicate--probably would be better on the Groggy glass...)

Well my favorite shaker is not vintage nor is it tiki but I like it! It's a polar bear shaker and I found it at one of those discount stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. This is the only pic I have and it's packed away in a box for the next week or so.

I just picked up a vintage shaker at the Sally Ann - only a dollar cause it was missing the lid. I looked on Ebay for stray lids but no luck - I guess the lids are rarer than the glass bottoms. The one I got has multicoloured maple leaves on it.

I have a great vintage collection of glass shakers with aluminum lids and was soo frustrated during a Christmas party when I was mixing drinks and the lids did not come off!! Help, is there a trick? I don't want to break down and buy a new shaker. I love my vintage shakers.